--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is an integral part of culture…" description: "\"Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one of the glories of the human intellectual tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png" --- # Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this… ![“Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one of the glories of the human intellectual tradition.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png) > “Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one of the glories of the human intellectual tradition.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science is a cultural activity, not an isolated elite pursuit, enriching human understanding. **In simple terms:** Science belongs to everyone. Key Takeaway Value science as part of everyday life. Themes knowledge culture democracy Mood thoughtful encouraging Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - policy making - media reporting - community outreach Key Concepts interdisciplinary thinking public understanding of science Questions to Reflect On - How can you make scientific ideas accessible? - What cultural biases affect scientific acceptance? A Different Perspective Science can be misused or misunderstood. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Priesthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priesthood/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The North American intellectual tradition began, I maintain, in the encounter of British Romanticism with assertive, pragmatic North American English - the Protestant plain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-north-american-intellectual-tradition-began-i-maintain-in-the/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I grew up in an atmosphere where words were an integral part of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-grew-up-in-an-atmosphere-where-words-were-an-integral-part-of/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [“Display in a foreign culture is not a foreign concept, and anyone who has ever traveled abroad will recollect, if they are honest, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-gralla/display-in-a-foreign-culture-is-not-a-foreign-concept-and-anyone-who/) Cynthia Gralla > [“I cannot imagine a truly beautiful world without courtesy being integral to its culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hrishikesh-agnihotri/i-cannot-imagine-a-truly-beautiful-world-without-courtesy-being/) [Hrishikesh Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hrishikesh-agnihotri/) > [Capital burns off the nuance in a culture. Foreign investment, global markets, corporate acquisitions, the flow of information through transnational media, the attenuating influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/capital-burns-off-the-nuance-in-a-culture-foreign-investment-global/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Language is deeply entwined in the intellectual development of humanity itself, it accompanies the latter upon every step of its localized progression or regression;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/language-is-deeply-entwined-in-the-intellectual-development-of/) [Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/) > [Religion's biggest crime is to slow down the Human's Intellectual Evolution! It creates an illusion as if there is a safe port somewhere. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/religion-s-biggest-crime-is-to-slow-down-the-human-s-intellectual/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Human intellectual progress, such as it has been, results from our long struggle to see things 'as they are,' or in the most universally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/human-intellectual-progress-such-as-it-has-been-results-from-our-long/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [“Engagement, and its relationship to the accumulation and processing of information, is a little-studied phenomenon, representing as it does, individual skills rather than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/engagement-and-its-relationship-to-the-accumulation-and-processing-of/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [“Given the state of disaster we humans have wrought upon the planet, it seems an argument can be made for the inferiority of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-bohanec/given-the-state-of-disaster-we-humans-have-wrought-upon-the-planet-it/) [Hope Bohanec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-bohanec/) > [People align with movements they can believe in, and it is the human, intellectual, and financial investment in genuine content that defines experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-solis/people-align-with-movements-they-can-believe-in-and-it-is-the-human/) [Brian Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-solis/) > [The great intellectual tradition that comes down to us from the past was never interrupted or lost through such trifles as the sack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-great-intellectual-tradition-that-comes-down-to-us-from-the-past/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn't betray it I'd be ashamed of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-intellectual-tradition-is-one-of-servility-to-power-and-if-i-didn/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It is almost an intellectual tradition to pay heed to the insane. In my case those that I most respect are the morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-michaux/it-is-almost-an-intellectual-tradition-to-pay-heed-to-the-insane-in/) [Henri Michaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-michaux/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one of the glories of the human intellectual tradition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-it-s-not-this-foreign-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-it-s-not-this-foreign-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/stephen-jay-gould-885_culture_science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-i_1504773.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Science is an integral part of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-it-s-not-this-foreign-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-is-an-integral-part-of-culture-it-s-not-this-foreign-thing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```